News from the Coconino County Democratic Party

Coconino County Democratic Party

6 years ago

February 18, 2020

TODAY Is the Last Day to Register to Vote in the Presidential Preference Election
Take Action!
Some Big Actions
KickOff 2020
More Opportunities to Meet our County Candidates
Legislative Alerts
20th Anniversary Roosevelt-Kennedy Dinner
In Case You Missed This News
Training Opportunities
Do You Want A Tee Shirt?
Calendar of Democratic Events in Coconino County
Here’s How to Reach Your Ex Com Members

TODAY Is the Last Day to Register to Vote in the Presidential Preference Election

Take Action!

“Every citizen doesn’t need to do everything, but each one of us can do one thing. We do this even when the odds seem against us, even when wrongdoers seem to be rewarded, because it is the right thing to do” — Marie Yovanovitch

It’s also the effective thing to do. Walter Shaub, former Chief of the Government Ethics office, wrote this week, “With the impeachment trial over, we’re in a dangerous new phase of Trump’s war on democracy. What do we do now?” Here’s his answer:

I think the greatest threat we face is despondency. The enemies of democracy, foreign and domestic, want you drowning in hopelessness. A hopeless populace is a helpless one. To that end, a hostile foreign power set up an infrastructure to weaponize social media against you.
The beneficiary of that effort learned from its success, and his campaign is trying to blur reality with its own blitzkrieg of chaos. Compounding the assault on your senses, he also wields a corrupted government, which follows his lead in disseminating lies to sow confusion. (The Atlantic published an article elaborating on this on February 10.)
In the face of this psychological warfare, our most urgent mission—our civic duty—is to reject despondency. Everyone has a bad day, so we may need to take turns leading the charge. But our job as citizens is to resist the temptation to spread defeatism on social media (and in our daily conversation).
If you don’t think a particular action will help, get out of the way of those of us who do. Keep it to yourself; take a break. Change is a product of momentum, which we build one action at a time.
What happens to citizens who write postcards to voters, call members of Congress, go to meetings, hand out flyers, go to marches, donate small amounts, or take other actions? They show up on election day to cast their votes, and they may even inspire others to do the same.
There’s also always a chance that these actions could have a more direct impact. If you think that can’t happen, you haven’t been paying attention. Not always, but sometimes public pressure has slowed and even stopped the demagogue’s overreach. (We see this in the Arizona legislature as well as on the national scene.)
The good news is that things are better in some ways than many fear. There’s an underreported public engagement in the fight for democracy. Just as the rise of fascism has exceeded anything we could have imagined, so too has the opposition to it. You are the hope factory.
There is energy behind the many individual actions being taken. So cultivate a hopeful—and entirely realistic—belief that individuals make a difference. Foster in yourself and others a willingness to do small things. Give $3 to something—anything! Give one hour of your time.

If you want to taste hope, check out all the inspiring responses folks posted in response to the tweet below late on a Saturday night when Twitter usage is down. Read their responses, share them with others, and add your own. Then, go save democracy! /11 https://t.co/0iizJlL0bl
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) February 16, 2020

Some Big Actions

During the weekend of February 8-9, 120 volunteers knocked on 3,000+ doors and spoke with 1,200 voters in a portion of our Legislative District 6 that has rarely been touched by canvassers since LD-6 became LD-6 in 2011. This is how we win.

This past weekend, our Coconino Democrats canvassed with LD-6 Senate Candidate Felicia French in Kachina Village during two shifts on Saturday. This is another area of LD-6 that has consistently underperformed relative to its potential to deliver for Democrats. We’ll be back there over and over from now to November 3. Also on Saturday, our Tuba City Democrats knocked on over 100 doors. Then on Sunday, we moved our canvassing prowess to the Country Club region of Flagstaff — an important spot for our District 4 County Supervisor race as well as for turning AZ Blue in our legislative and national elections. If you can give a couple of hours to register voters and spread the word about the importance of voting, watch our calendar for weekly opportunities around the Flagstaff area and elsewhere.

Still need some motivation to get involved? This is what happens when a State Legislature flips from red to blue.

KickOff 2020

Our Biennial Candidate Kickoff Event on Sunday, February 9, was a success in spite of going head-to-head with the Academy Awards broadcast. Candidates made progress on collecting signatures for their nominating petitions and were able to speak their messages to a diverse crowd. The entertainment was great.

This capped off a busy weekend for the Coconino Democrats which included our Monthly Coconino Democrats Action Meeting on Saturday, a Sunday afternoon canvass, and assisting with the Arizona Democratic Party Twin Arrows event.

More Opportunities to Meet our County Candidates

On Thursday this week, attend our Democratic Politics luncheon to meet Democrats running for County Offices. 11:30 at the Weatherford.

On Leap Day — Saturday, February 29 — our Region 9 Precinct Committee People are hosting an event at Horsemen Lodge to meet the County Candidates.

Legislative Alerts

Shout out to Executive Committee Member and Legislative Chair Darrel Boomgaarden. He provides a steady voice for our leadership and also — with help from a dedicated group of volunteers — churns our Legislative Alerts each week the Legislature is in session. The committee distills evaluations from a variety of sources and makes recommendations for you to call, email, and RTS our legislators. On the last day of the legislative session last week, nearly 900 bills were introduced. By Sunday night, the committee had produced this:

Legislative Alerts for the Week of February 17, 2020

20th Anniversary Roosevelt-Kennedy Dinner

Our 20th Annual Roosevelt Kennedy Dinner celebrates We The People leading the way in 2020. Our country will only be turned around with the effort of all. We celebrate grassroots activism, encourage diversity in our party and among the candidates that will represent us, and work towards the unifying goal of change in 2020.

The event is March 28 at the Little America Hotel. This is our major fundraising event of the year and we need your support in order to continue all the work you see us doing. Our program committee is planning a great night and our auction committee is hard at work collecting the very best items for you to buy. You can follow the auction items as they come in here.

Printed invitations will be mailed later this week, but tickets are now available online! Get your tickets here!

Our Keynote Speaker is Charlene Fernandez, Minority Leader in the Arizona House of Representatives. There is no one better able to fire up a crowd!

In Case You Missed This News

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Training Opportunities

We encourage all PCs and volunteers to attend one of our weekly orientation sessions. These explain the party structure and give you an opportunity to learn how you can contribute. PLEASE RSVP for the next session by calling the office at 928-214-0393 or by emailing info@coconinodemocrats.org. We seem to always have new folks coming in, so we haven’t canceled one in a while, but as a courtesy to the volunteers who are leading the training, we ask that you let us know that you are coming!

If we have no RSVPs, the event will not be held!